


Once is Coincidence, Twice is Premeditation

by enbyboiwonder



Category: Stargate - All Media Types, Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Christmas, Diptych, First Kiss, M/M, Mistletoe, Nonbinary Character, Nonbinary Daniel Jackson, Other, references to ST:ENT s01e16 Shuttlepod One
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-29
Updated: 2018-12-29
Packaged: 2019-09-29 00:31:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17193107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/enbyboiwonder/pseuds/enbyboiwonder
Summary: They’ll hang out at the Winter Holiday Party for as short a time as they can get away with before sneaking back to Rodney’s quarters to continue their Enterprise marathon.  While nobody wants Elizabeth’s quiet disappointment turned on them, it’s even worse with Jonas, who seems to have gotten the kicked puppy look down to an art form.





	Once is Coincidence, Twice is Premeditation

**Author's Note:**

> Set in an AU either where Elizabeth never became a Replicator or where Danny joined the Atlantis expedition before she did, and where Jonas is part of the expedition as co-leader as was apparently going to happen before the writers decided that, nah, actually they like him less than they thought, and did him dirty by sending him back to Langara and never acknowledging his existence again after giving him one extra episode.  (I am salty.)
> 
> TATV aired in May 2005, during the hiatus between SGA s1 and 2, and the series was released on DVD from March thru November 2005, meaning this fic could take place in s2 and they have maybe the first 2 seasons on DVD, or it’s s3 or later and they likely have all 4 seasons.  Either way, they would have, time permitting, been able to see through all of s3 of ENT before the Atlantis expedition left.

i.

"He's obviously gay."

"Uh, bi."

"Trip is bi," Daniel accedes.  "Hayes is bi.  T'Pol and Archer are bi.  But Malcolm?  There's no way."

"Hello!  He's attracted to women!"

He neatly sidesteps Rodney's waving hands and keeps walking; their discussion has spilled out into the hallway but hasn't been toned down any for it, though it's unlikely to continue once they've actually reached the mess.

They finished Shuttlepod One in time to make their required appearance at the Winter Holiday Party (it's essentially Christmas, but more along the lines of commercialized, secular Christmas than the religious holiday, with various other traditions thrown in; most of the scientists and a number of the military personnel aren't Christian, not to mention the Athosians, Satedans, and Langarans all have their own religions, and Atlantis is supposed to be all about inclusivity despite all but being an American military installation, hence the name), where they'll hang out for as short a time as they can get away with before sneaking back to Rodney's quarters to continue their Enterprise marathon.  While nobody wants Elizabeth's quiet disappointment turned on them, it's even worse with Jonas, who seems to have gotten the kicked puppy look down to an art form.

"You mean all those 'ex-girlfriends' he definitely just made up, possibly on the spot?" Daniel says.  "When he was purposely trying to get under Trip's skin?"

"Ignore all his off-screen romances all you want, there's still T'Pol."

"You seriously think he's attracted to her?"

"Well why  _else_ would he have that dream about her?  That was pretty damning."

"Oh, I don't know," he says, stopping and whirling to face Rodney directly, "because Rick Berman is homophobic?  And if he's so attracted to her, why does he freak out so bad at the first indication that she might be interested in him?"

Just as Rodney opens his mouth to reply, someone clears their throat loudly next to them.

"What!" they snap in unison, rounding on whomever it is.

Cadman just grins—it's more of an evil smirk, really—and points up.

Obligingly, they both glance up to see the sprig of mistletoe hanging cheerily above their heads, complete with festive little red bow and all.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me," Rodney says irritably, but he curls a hand around the back of Daniel's neck and drags him forward to press a dry kiss to his lips anyway.  "Like I said—" and his hand shifts down to grip Daniel's upper arm and haul him down the hallway like they hadn't been interrupted, but Daniel's mind is already light years away.

 

ii.

Rodney cuts himself off mid-sentence, turning eyes wide with realization on him as he comes suddenly to a stop in the middle of the hallway.  Daniel stumbles forward a step before managing to come to a stop himself.

"Uh," he says intelligently.  He admittedly has only been half paying attention to anything that was being said, disagreeing on autopilot with anything that Rodney says, and Rodney's last words take a moment to catch up to him, especially because they have nothing to do with Star Trek:  _Oh my god, you're gay, aren't you._   He hadn't even realized that Rodney hadn't let go of his arm.  Rodney still hasn't, actually.

"Sorry, I'm never any good with these sorts of things," Rodney continues, heedless, sincere and a little abashed, and Daniel barely has time to wonder faintly if Rodney genuinely apologizing may not be the oddest thing to happen to him today.  "Whoever said that every queer person has a gaydar was obviously either lying or hadn't met me.  I can never tell; it's a little inconvenient at times."

"Uh," Daniel says again.  He's still a little stuck on Rodney kissing him and Rodney apologizing and Rodney liking men.  He blinks, pulling himself together.  "I might be?  I usually go for men, but there was Sha'uri, so normally I stick with queer."  Not to mention he's not entirely sure what a gender is, and 'queer' certainly includes 'genderqueer,' so.  And possibly just down the hall from the crowded mess is not the best place to discuss this.

Not that Rodney seems particularly inclined to discuss it right now.

His eyes are fixed on something above their heads, and Daniel knows he's standing beneath another sprig of mistletoe even before he looks up to check.  When he looks down again, Rodney's moved closer, his hand tightening minutely around Daniel's bicep, the other curling, unsure, over his shoulder.

"May I?" Rodney asks.

In lieu of answer, Daniel closes the distance that's left between them and kisses him softly, his hands coming up to frame Rodney's jaw.  Rodney hums and presses closer, hands sliding down to rest at the curve of his waist, and Daniel's inclined to think, for once, that Cadman's tendency toward evil plotting is a blessing rather than trouble.

"This isn't me agreeing that Reed is gay, mind."

Daniel smiles.  "That's okay.  You can have your wrong opinion."

"Opinions are inherently incapable of being wrong, you know," Rodney tells him, chin raised, superior.  "Aren't you the linguist, here?"

"Yes; I used 'opinion' on purpose."  He presses one more kiss to Rodney's smug mouth then steps back reluctantly, lest they really will be late and won't be able to avoid the puppy-dog eyes after all.

Rodney  _humph_ s, but lets himself be guided on to the mess with a hand between his shoulder blades, a pleased smile gracing his lips anyway.

**Author's Note:**

> [tumblr](https://enbyboiwonder.tumblr.com/post/181512433061/) | [pillowfort](https://www.pillowfort.io/posts/370521)


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